In autumn 2024, Pihlajalinna Turku started collaborating with Pohjola Insurance to offer a wellness morning workout series to occupational health partners. Every other Friday, a group of early birds meet at a Forever fitness centre to work out, hear about various health topics, enjoy breakfast and network.
An brisk morning workout gives you energy and a good mood for the entire day. Pihlajalinna Turku and Pohjola Insurance have been inviting their occupational health partners for refreshing workout sessions at a Forever fitness centre for six months. The wellness morning workouts have been received with such enthusiasm that more inspiring workout sessions will soon be organised in other cities.
“We want to make people move and promote wellbeing. The wellness morning workouts combine the joy of exercise and specialist knowledge with inspiring company. The events have been so popular that the events have gone into overtime each week,” says Pihlajalinna’s Regional Director, Western Finland Aki Ahonen with a smile.
Inspiring health lectures create discussion
The wellness morning workouts are organised every other Friday. The events starts with a 45-minute group exercise class, which can be, for example, a functional workout, body maintenance or core exercises.
After the workout, the participants can take a shower and go to the sauna. Then, it is time for a shared breakfast, during which they will hear from the day’s specialist. The themes vary: so far, they have included managing the mental load, the impact of exercise and nutrition on health as well as recovering from an injury.
“The speakers have been Pihlajalinna’s own specialists, such as physiotherapists and occupational psychologists. Going forward, we will also hear from specialists at Pohjola Insurance and Forever. The lectures have been inspiring and created lively discussions,” says Service Coordinator Satu Brandt from Pihlajalinna.
Registrations fill up quickly with a diverse group of participants
Pihlajalinna’s and Pohjola Insurance’s occupational health customers are invited to the wellness morning workouts via newsletters and Lyyti invitations. The companies can decide internally which employee participates in the workout session.
“The participants have included entrepreneurs, management and employees from various industries. In the beginning, we only had a handful of participants. The word spread quickly, and now the registrations fill up quickly. At the moment, we only have room for 16 participants. We plan to increase the number of participants in the future,” Ahonen and Brandt explain.
The event is developed on the basis of the needs and wishes of the participants. In spring 2025, participants can look forward to InBody analyses, which helps you track the development of your physical condition.
Pihlajalinna wants to make all of Finland move: this spring, the workouts expand to Kuopio
The good news of the wellness morning workouts is slowly spreading to other Pihlajalinna locations. Kuopio will start organising morning workouts in spring 2025. Ahonen explains how his colleague in Central Finland was already eagerly enquiring about organising workouts.
“We have the honour of functioning as a sort of a pilot city. We obviously want to see the morning workout concept spread far and wide! This is a great example of successful and inspiring stakeholder collaboration.”
Ahonen and Brandt have also participated in the morning workouts themselves, so it is easy for them to join in on the praises the other participants have given.
“The atmosphere at the workouts has been great: relaxed and respectful, and everyone cheers each other on. It has been a joy to organise an event that not only gives people a good feeling, but also a good mood!”
Would you like to know more about the wellness morning workout concept and participate? Contact the Pihlajalinna Regional Director in your region.
Contact details for regional directors: Pihlajalinna’s contact details